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Swatchfest: Deborah Lippmann Nail Polishes
I love Deborah Lippmann polishes and looking at the bottles below, I’m sure it’s not hard to tell why. I hadn’t tried any of the non-glitter polishes until I picked up Nefertiti and, while I do like it, glitters are where Deborah excels. I’m going to include links to swatches from Temptalia for some shades because there is a skill to photographing nail polishes that I just haven’t mastered!
From left to right: Today was a Fairytale, Lady Sings the Blues, Across the Universe, Mermaid’s Dream
Without flash: Today was a Fairytale, Lady Sings the Blues, Across the Universe, Mermaid’s Dream
With flash: Today was a Fairytale, Lady Sings the Blues, Across the Universe, Mermaid’s Dream
Swatch links: Lady Sings the Blues, Across the Universe, Mermaid’s Dream
From left to right: Boom Boom Pow, Nefertiti, Happy Birthday
Without flash: Happy Birthday, Boom Boom Pow, Nefertiti
With flash: Happy Birthday, Boom Boom Pow, Nefertiti
from left to right: Mermaid’s Kiss, Some Enchanted Evening, Razzle Dazzle, Bad Romance
Without flash: Mermaid’s Kiss, Some Enchanted Evening, Razzle Dazzle, Bad Romance
With flash: Mermaid’s Kiss, Some Enchanted Evening, Razzle Dazzle, Bad Romance
swatch link: Bad Romance
Where to buy:
I used to get mine online at Kissandmakeupny.com but they’ve stopped shipping these to Australia so I’ve just started buying mine from the Revolve clothing website. They’re not cheap at $16-$18 each but I think most of them are unique enough to spend the money on.
Lisa made me do it: dark Lips
I was watching Lisa Eldridge putting on makeup as I did my makeup this morning and was inspired to rock a vampy lip. The video for Elle magazine was on how to wear bold lip colour’s and she used some great dark lipsticks. I’ve already done a post on some of my tips for pulling off dark lips here.
I really wanted to wear my new Guerlain Rouge G Jewel lipstick in Gigolo so I paired it with NYX Cola lipliner to get the darkness that I was after. The liner is on its own is on the left and Gigolo on its own is on the right. Seriously, how amazing is Gigolo?? I love it! I bought the NYX lip liner for the purpose of creating a dark base to layer lighter lipsticks on top. As you can see below, wearing it on its own doesn’t really do much for me.
I am in love with the combination of both shades together. They create this really lovely vampy plum shade that’s intense yet flattering.
What do you think? What’s your favourite dark lip shade?
Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick- a cream foundation worth trying
Let me preface this post by saying that I’m not a fan of cream foundations. I’ve tried offerings from various brands in the past but have always found them to be too heavy and quite hard to manipulate on the skin. I wasn’t looking to try this foundation and I wouldn’t have tried it if the girl at the Tom Ford counter hadn’t given me a sample when I was purchasing something else. I told her my issues with cream foundations but she was insistent that the Tom Ford Traceless Stick Foundation was different.
What Tom Ford says:
An essential tool in Tom Ford’s makeup regimen. Rich in hydrants, this foundation stick’s unique cream formula creates a flawless and smooth finish. Portable and precise, it achieves versatility of sheer, medium or full coverage, always beautifully natural and undetectable. Or, when used as a concealer, it swiftly diminishes imperfections.
What I say:
Texture:
This foundation stick is actually really different to other cream foundations I’ve tried in the past. The thing that really differentiates it is that it seems thick when you first take some out of the container but, as you start to work with it, it becomes very emollient and almost liquid-like. This foundation has a lot of slip to it and feels smooth and weightless when applied.
Coverage:
Even though it’s advertised that a sheer coverage is possible with this, I feel like this is definitely a medium to full coverage foundation. As you can see it evens my skin tone and goes a long way to covering the imperfections on my face. With the right application, it could also be used as a concealer and some people apparently use it under the eye. I personally think it’s too thick for the under eye but that’s personal preference.
Finish:
This foundation definitely has a very dewy look for a cream foundation and maybe that’s because of all the ‘hydrants’. It has quite a long dry down time but it doesn’t seem to oxidise on the skin which is a plus. It does seem ‘traceless’ from a distance but I feel like the pigments aren’t as fine as with liquid foundations so it doesn’t give that second skin look that I like and, to me, it’s noticeable on the skin.
Maybe I just haven’t found the right application method yet but so far I’ve tried various brushes, fingers and sponges and the effect still isn’t what I like in a foundation.
Wear time:
I have combination skin with a tendency to get very shiny across the centre of my face. This foundation stays on my skin if the conditions are right but, for the most part, it’s a battle to get it to stay on throughout the day. The main reason is because the foundation sits on top of my skin rather than really melding with it so, once I start to get oily, it just comes right off.
It was a pretty mild day when I took these pictures so there were no major issues but I’ve worn it on days when the weather was quite high and this just came right off. I set this foundation with powder and then didn’t blot or touch up during the day and you can see how shiny I looked by the end of the day. The foundation wore off on my nose and chin and looks patchy because of that.
Colour:
One of the issues I have with cream foundations is that, as they’re usually thicker, the colour match has to be pretty perfect or the effect becomes mask like. The shades that I got given were ( I think) Praline and Toffee. One is too dark and the other too light but I can get a pretty good match if I mix the both.
I compared them to some other foundations in my collection below. There is a lot of variation in the shades but most of them still work on my skin tone. The only one that I struggle to use on my skin tone is the Kevyn Aucoin one as it’s very thick and opaque and ends up looking too light and gives me that mask effect I talked about.
From Left to right: Tom Ford Praline, Mixed, Tom Ford Toffee, Prolongwear nc42, Make Up For Ever HD Foundation 153, Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer SX11, Illamasqua Skin Base #12, Estee Lauder Doublewear 5W1 Warm Bronze
Final thoughts:
I think this is the best cream foundation that I’ve tried and it’s probably something that I would have loved a few years ago when I was obsessed with heavier coverage foundations. Now, I prefer foundations which are light to medium coverage which have more fluidity to them so I don’t think I’ll be purchasing this myself but I would recommend it.
This is definitely better for those with normal to dry skins though so I would pass if you have oily skin, otherwise be prepared to touch up throughout the day.
The price is probably thing that will eventually make most of you decide whether to get it or not and at $110AUD/$78USD this foundation isn’t cheap and is priced above most high end foundations. I think this is a luxurious foundation and if you’re looking to splurge, it’s worth looking at.
What do you think of this product? Have you tried it?
Maybelline Color Sensational Lipsticks- Vivid’s part 1
Following up on my review of the Maybelline Color Sensational lipsticks, here are swatches of some of the shades from the Vivid’s range.
The Vivid’s range consists of 10 shades which are very intense and bright and absolutely stunning! These are shades that could have come out of any high end lipstick range and are ones you don’t usually see at the drugstore.
I picked up 6 of the 10 shades but, for the sake of trying to keep this post some what short, I thought I’d divide the swatches across 2 posts. The shade’s I’m showing today are Shocking Coral, Electric Orange and Neon Red. All 3 of these shades are very opaque and packed with pigment which means that they do stain the lips (or skin if you’re a swatcher) so be prepared to exfoliate once you take these off.
from left to right: Shocking Coral, Electric Orange, Neon Red
They all feel great on the lips which I assume is due to the inclusion of lanolin, sesame seed oil and bees wax. That being said, these don’t moisturise your lips so, if you’re prone to dry lips, be sure to moisturise first.
They also last a good amount of time despite the formula so I can usually go at least 4 hours without reapplying. As I mentioned in my last post though, I do find I have to remove these and exfoliate my lips and then reapply after a few hours as I get a bit of build up on my lips for some reason.
Shocking coral is a really bright pink toned coral shade. It’s very warm but, due to the natural mauve tone and depth of pigmentation of my lips, it does tend to pull slightly cooler on me. This looks very different on those with lighter lips and there’s a level of translucency that is lost when it’s used on more pigmented lips. I still really like it though but find that I have to be more conscious of the rest of my makeup when I wear it.
From left to right: MAC Party Parrot, Shocking Coral, MAC Viva Glam Nicki, CK Delicious Luxury Creme Lipstick in Delightful
I tried to find some shades that were similar to Shocking Coral but couldn’t find anything I owned which was a dupe. MAC Party Parrot was the closest but Party Parrot is a lot more neon and matte than Shocking Coral which means it’s not as easy to wear.
Electric Orange is a vibrant orange shade which is bright without being neon. It pulls slightly red and has a bit of depth to it which makes it very wearable. This is the type of shade I would recommend to someone wanting to find an orange lipstick that isn’t garish. It has a very brightening effect on my skin tone and I think it’s one of those perfect spring/summer shades.
I thought I’d be able to find a close match in my collection but a lot of my lipsticks in this shade range tend to have more red or pink to them.
From left to right: Loreal Caresse Lipstain Gloss in Princess, Electric Orange, Revlon Colorburst lip butter in Tutti Frutti, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Liberte
Neon Red is a very warm toned red that’s just this side of being an orange. It’s very opaque and, out of the 3 shades featured, is the one that truly shows an element of translucency on my lips.
Due to the depth of the shade, I also find it the easiest to wear out of all three and think it’s probably the most flattering.
I have quite a few reds in my collection but the three below are the closest I could find. The Loreal Caresse Lipstain Gloss in Princess (swatched in one of the pictures above) is also extremely close. The glossiness of Princess means that it’s actually probably the closest to Neon Red once the colour is built up on the lips.
From left to right: NARS Heatwave, Neon Red, MAC Scarlet Ibis, Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in shade #12
I think all 3 of these shades are lovely and the quality to price ratio is amazing so you won’t really go wrong if you decide to pick any of these up.
Price: US $7.49/AUS $16.95 ( I bought mine on sale at Priceline for $10.17)
Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Fifth Ave Fuchsia
I’ve just discovered the Color Sensational range of lipsticks from Maybelline and they’re fantastic! I went on a bit of a buying frenzy last week at Priceline when the 40% off sale was on and picked up quite a few of these.
The shades that I bought are from the normal Color Sensational range and some which are from the Vivids range. Today’s shade, Fifth Ave Fuchsia, is part of the normal range but definitely wouldn’t look out of place next to the Vivid’s because it’s pretty intense!
Why I love them:
- Firstly, all of the shade’s that I’ve tried so far are pretty opaque and packed with pigment which means intense colour build up without much effort.
- The texture is gorgeous and feels really comfortable on the lips. It’s not moisturising as such but it doesn’t dry out my lips.
- They wear really well through out the day. I can usually get at least 4 or 5 hours of solid wear without having to re-touch. Even though there’s minimal fading I do find that, by around the 5th hour, I need to wipe my lipstick off and reapply because I start to get some type of build up that doesn’t look very nice on the lips.
Fifth Ave Fuchsia is a gorgeous bright warm pink that I think is really wearable without being too bright. You all know by now how much I love a bright pink lip so, as much as I know I should have left it at the store, I really couldn’t help myself!
Here’s a comparison with some of the other shades in the Color Sensational range:
from left to right: Fuchsia Flash, Fifth Ave Fuchsia, Vivid Rose
I looked through the rest of my collection of pink lippies and I swatched those that seemed the closest. When you take a close look though you can see that none of them are really dupes.
from left to right: MAC Girl About Town, Fifth Ave Fuchsia, Revlon Colorburst in Raspberry Pie, YSL Rouge Volupte in Rose Culte
I’ve never really tried Maybelline lipsticks before and now I’m wondering why. If you haven’t already checked these out, I would definitely recommend taking a look!
US price: $7.49/ AUS price: $16.95 (I picked them up for $10.17 during the sale)
Beautiful skin in a bottle: Burberry Sheer Luminous Fluid Foundation
I started the year with a resolution that I was going to stop buying so much makeup and start shopping my stash. Unfortunately that resolution lasted about a week until I got properly introduced to Burberry makeup and there’s just no going back. I haven’t been this into a brand in… well ever! I really love how the whole range focuses on naturally enhanced beauty with very chic colour choices. It also doesn’t hurt that the Burberry girl at the Melbourne city store was so lovely and helpful (thanks Ashley!). So far I haven’t tried any part of the Burberry range that I haven’t loved but my absolute favourite item so far has to be the Sheer Luminous Fluid Foundation.
First of all, just take a look at that bottle! Everything in the Burberry range exudes elegance and is just made to be displayed on your dressing table.
The bottle comes with a pump that releases the perfect amount of product.
It comes with a twist lock mechanism which comes in really handy (and saves your carpet) for all those times you don’t put the lid back on and the bottle falls on the floor…
My only issue with the packaging is how much of a fingerprint magnet it is! The beautiful metal with the Burberry check starts to look dirty after just one use but it’s nothing that a little wipe down doesn’t fix.
There are 13 shades available and , while I can’t speak to the lighter shades, I think Burberry did a pretty commendable job with their shades choices in the darker shades. The shades on the darker end of the spectrum have a good amount of yellow in them and I think there are an impressive amount of shades available (although the jump from shade 12 to 13 seems to be quite big). Check out Karlasugar’s post for swatches of all shades. Here’s a comparison with some other foundations in my collection. Click to see it bigger.
I picked this up in the shade Trench 10 and I have to say that this is a pretty perfect colour match for my skin tone. This doesn’t pull ashy on me and, if anything, is slightly more warm toned than my complexion. The texture is really beautiful and a little goes a long way. The coverage is medium build-able and the finish is a natural skin finish that leans slightly dewy. I have normal/combination skin and I get oily across my cheeks and t-zone by the afternoon when I wear this all day but if I touch up half way through the day with a little powder, this lasts really well.
What I love about this foundation (apart from pretty much everything) is how weightless this feels on the skin. I honestly don’t feel like I’m wearing foundation and I feel like it gives a very natural but quite perfected look to the skin. I also love how this photographs and haven’t found any issues with flash back. I’ve worn this without any setting powder and found that, while it did wear away throughout the day, the texture and shade match meant that my skin didn’t look patchy. I prefer to set it with a dusting of MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural (although the Burberry Powder foundation may or may not be making it’s way to me right now… I know I have a problem!) or some translucent powder.
This final photo is how the foundation looks when I’ve done my whole face. This has definitely become my go to foundation during the day. The only thing not to love so much is the price. This product sells for a little over $70AUD for 30ml but I think it’s worth it for the quality of the product. If you’re looking for a new foundation and don’t mind splurging, I highly recommend this one.
Have you tried this foundation? What are your thoughts?
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